So as to provide protection for consumers who experience conditions that lead to the release of body exudate (such as for example, incontinence or menorrhea), consumer product manufacturers have developed a wide range of personal care absorbent articles to reduce or eliminate undergarment, garment, and/or bedding soiling. Such traditional absorbent articles, often described as “pad” or “absorbent garments” (i.e. pants or diapers), are worn either in the crotch region of undergarments or garments, or alternatively, in place of the undergarments themselves. Such absorbent articles generally include a liquid permeable topsheet layer, through which body exudate passes into the absorbent article, a liquid impermeable backsheet layer, which serves as a barrier to keep body exudate from passing out of the article after it has collected within the article, and an absorbent layer that is both sandwiched and sealed between the liquid permeable topsheet layer and liquid impermeable backsheet layer, for retaining the body exudate in the article. Not surprisingly, these traditional absorbent articles are most effective for preventing leakage of exudate when they are held in close proximity to a wearer's body, or when they at least include barrier-type structures adjacent their lateral side edges that are sealed against a wearer's body, so as to prevent wicking of exudate along a wearer's body surfaces and beyond the coverage of the articles. However, the reliable collection of body exudate while an article wearer is sleeping, presents its own set of challenges, as wearers of such articles frequently move about between supine, prone, and/or body side positions, and their undergarments or sleepwear are not always held tightly against their bodies. As a result of these constantly changing sleep positions, traditional pads or diapers can become physically separated or dislodged from the wearer's body (i.e. with spaces forming between the article and the wearer's body), leading to fluid leakage and subsequent undergarment or bedding staining. Furthermore, pad-type articles are often planar in shape, and do not conform to the dips and curves of a wearer's anatomy, leading to at least peripheral gaps in contact between the article and the wearer. The wearer of such articles are likely to be unaware that leakage is occurring, and the leakage problem may be exacerbated over the course of a night as traditional absorbent pads and panty liners move about, such as from side to side as the crotch region of a wearer's undergarment shifts, and potentially twists or turns the absorbent article out of its most desirable position with the wearer's movements.
So as to address these and other fluid capture challenges of extended-wear absorbent articles, manufacturers have developed a wide range of extended-wear, or “overnight” absorbent article features. For example, absorbent pads have been designed with either greater absorbency levels, targeted absorbency locations in the pad, and/or extended length and width dimensions in the region of the pad that is to be placed immediately adjacent the wearer's buttocks, in order to provide a larger exudate collection surface. A description of asymmetrical pads can be seen for example, in international patent publication number WO95/15139 to Unger et al. However, even with such targeted absorbency features and enlarged dimensions, such products still tend to separate from a wearer's body during sleep movements, potentially leading to leakage. Further, article leakage also continues to be an issue for consumers particularly along the curved portions of a wearer's anatomy, where exudate may wick or flow beyond the peripheral edges of the relatively planar absorbent article surfaces, since such articles are not sealed tightly to the wearer's anatomy at these locations. This leakage may occur along the buttocks or so-called intergluteal cleft region (i.e adjacent the wearer's back) while shifting sleeping positions. The intergluteal cleft region is that region of a consumer's anatomy between the end of their back and the wearer's anal region (between the buttocks), with the gluteal cleft being the sulcus between the wearer's buttocks. There is therefore still a need for an extended-wear, absorbent article which generally stays in place over the course of multiple hours during a night, and which provides for capture of body exudate despite being exposed to a wide range of wearer positions and/or physically separating from a wearer's body adjacent curved body features.
In order to specifically address leakage of body exudate from absorbent articles along the buttocks and intergluteal cleft region of a wearer, absorbent articles having a freely extending, tail-like feature or flap (and which is also absorbent) have been developed, which tail-like feature is configured to move about with the movement of the underside of the buttocks of a wearer as he/she changes position. An example of such extended length string, tail, or flap is described for instance, in International Patent Publication WO 02/062278 to Mok and European Patent Publication EP 1048277 to Calia. However, such unattached tail may twist and turn over time, leading to discomfort during a wearer's movements, and may also become positioned in ineffective fluid-capture locations over the course of an evening, thereby also leading to eventual exudate leakage.
In order to provide for increased absorbency or fluid capture, particularly along the intergluteal cleft region of a wearer, absorbent pads have also been developed which include an elevated, centrally positioned absorbent layer that essentially rises above a base pad upper-most surface, along a substantial length of the base pad. The centrally positioned absorbent layer is biased towards a wearer's anatomy as a result of elastic tension in the layer. Such elevated absorbent layer designs may be seen for instance, in United States Patent Publications 2002/0120247 and 2006/0135930 to Mizutani et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 6,293,935 to Kimura et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,296,628 to Mizutani, U.S. Pat. No. 6,471,682 to Kashiwagi, and U.S. Pat. No. 8,439,886 to Hashino et al. However, many of such designs require the inclusion of costly absorbent material along a large portion of the upper layer, or extended length sheet/elastic material which is forcibly maintained in close proximity to the body of the wearer over the time of wear (as a result of elastic tension in the layer), thereby increasing the possibility of wetness sensation being felt by the wearer across their anatomy, and for a prolonged timeframe. Such elevated layer typically extends from a location near the back abdominal region of the wearer, across the wearer's crotch and to the front abdominal region. As a result, such elastically biased layer may lead to frictional discomfort over the course of wear.
Still further designs have been described in the patent literature, which provide for only partially-elevated fluid capture features. Such partially-elevated features include either a raised, discrete absorbent protrusion, typically having a triangular cross-sectional shape so as to fit within the intergluteal cleft region of a wearer, or a raised central hollowed protrusion, in order to more closely adhere to the intergluteal cleft shape along much of the wearer's crotch region. An example of this peaked, hollow feature is illustrated for instance, in the description of U.S. Pat. No. 8,048,049 to Fujikawa et al. Such central peaked feature may also lead to discomfort over time, as the article maintains a pressed, skin-contacting configuration with a wearer across sensitive anatomical features. Further, such articles do not completely address problems of leakage of fluid from the upper intergluteal cleft region (i.e. flat area) immediately adjacent the back of the wearer.
Finally, further designs have been described in the literature which provide for partially elevated and flattened, fluid capture features located towards the back end of an absorbent article. Such may be seen for example in United States Patent Publication 2013/0060218 to Kudo et al., Korean Patent Publication 10-2012-0061497 to Hwang et al., Japanese Patent Nos. JP5244301B2 to Kamiyama et al. and JP4939026B2 to Kuroda et al. However, even with such flattened, elevated features, there is still a need for absorbent articles which demonstrate an increased ability to stay in place, and which provide for reliable exudate collection despite the wearer shifting position and the article being adjacent to curves on the wearer's anatomy.
Many of the foregoing absorbent articles include elastic components as part of their structures, which are designed in conjunction with separate absorbent layers to capture fluid from the intergluteal cleft region. However, the folding of such articles for storage prior to use can negatively impact the long term efficacy of such elastic components, as they may be stored under pressure (in less than effective folded configurations) or exposed to unfavorable embossing steps during article manufacture, and prior to folding. There is therefore a need for extended-wear absorbent articles which may be easily folded for storage prior to use, without impacting the elastic functionality of article structures.